The present invention relates generally to the field of Alzheimer""s testing, and more specifically to a system for implementing non-linguistic testing procedures for establishing and remotely recording a baseline level of mental function capability intended for comparison to a given test result.
Accidents in the workplace cost society many billions of dollars, hundreds of lives and cause considerable damage to the environment each year. The majority of these accidents are caused by human error. Human error has, of course, many causes, but it is most prevalent when an operator is impaired from lack of sleep, illness, or is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In the U.S., at least 7.5 million workers in high-risk occupations are required to take random blood or urine tests to deter the use of drugs and alcohol on the job, a requirement which has helped reduce accidents. However, fatigue, illness and stress are more common causes of impairment than are the effects of drugs or alcohol. Accidents continue to occur in large part because workers are impaired by illness, exhaustion, stress, side-effects from prescription medications or from a combination of these factors. There is therefore an urgent need for a way to screen workers for all impairment factors and causes before they begin work. Such screening should be sensitive to impairment regardless of its cause, should provide results individualized for the user, should be simple and quick to use, and should insure the maintenance of worker privacy.
As for illness affecting performance, with an aging population and older workers than in the past, Alzheimer""s disease may pose a significant workplace performance factor as well. A reliable, simple to use Alzheimer""s test would therefore contribute to workplace safety. Moreover, a test for Alzheimer""s would also be useful for those who do not work, since the progress of the disease can be slowed or arrested by treatment if it is detected and treated early. Medical experts estimate that there are over four million persons afflicted with Alzheimer""s disease in the U.S. alone. This number is expected to increase annually because of the increasingly greater percentage of the population over 55 years of age. Rates of occurrence for other diseases affecting mental performance, such as Parkinson""s, are also expected to increase over the next ten years.
Currently, the two standard tests for Alzheimer""s disease are the Mini Mental State Exam and the Janssen Seven Minute Screen. Both require fifteen minutes or more to administer and score, and both require administration by a trained nurse or technician. Since these tests must be administered in a doctor""s office or in a clinic by a trained person, they are expensive and are therefore impractical for testing on a very large scale. Moreover, administration of the available tests is susceptible to the administrator""s personal biases and influence, and the results are not private, or at least are susceptible to a breach of privacy. Also, available Alzheimer""s tests cannot be used for mass screening in public places where a trained professional to help administer the test is unavailable.
The present invention permits mass testing for Alzheimer""s disease, as well as for Parkinson""s Disease and other neurological impairments, in an objective manner, while maintaining each person""s privacy by recording their scores on their own personal datacard. The inventive tests and mechanism for their administration provides for standardization of tests and results, for individuals or across groups, and can be administered in pharmacy chains and senior centers for inexpensive mass screening of the general population.
The present invention addresses these concerns with a reliable and economical test for Alzheimer""s Disease or other dementia and for general alertness with a tester which is easy to use and protects user privacy. The inventive tester preferably comprises a compact, single-purpose computer which can be hung on a wall, placed on a table, installed in a booth, or mounted in an instrument panel. The inventive tester provides a standard for checking worker alertness, or a person""s risk or progress of Alzheimer""s, which can be utilized throughout an industry, medical facility, or among entities nationally and internationally. For dementia and related disease testing, the invention specifically includes a method to administer a mental function test (including standardized tests) for medical use utilizing a tester. The invention therefore enables early Alzheimer""s disease detection, thereby enabling early treatment and increasing the chances of recovery or arresting the progress of the disease.
The present invention therefore comprises a system to assess a user""s level of alertness or mental fitness by using computer-delivered tests and a personal data device (preferably a Smart Card, but referred to herein generally as a datacard). In workplace testing, the datacard can be adapted to permit or prevent use of or access to equipment or work areas, depending on the person""s level of alertness. In dementia testing, the datacard records individual longitudinal profile data about risk or current status of dementia, such as Alzheimer""s disease. The tester preferably maintains personal privacy by retaining test performance and baseline information only on each user""s own datacard, which each user carries as personal property. Preferably, no personal data is retained in any computer, database or tester. Personal data are retained only on a user""s own datacard, thereby maintaining user privacy. Each user""s own personal level of test performance is coded into the user""s own datacard. When a test ends, any performance data retained by the tester memory is preferably automatically erased.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a system and method for testing for alertness or risk of dementia in a user, the system comprising, a microprocessor, a visual display apparatus in electrical communication with the microprocessor, a data input/output (xe2x80x9cI/Oxe2x80x9d) port in electrical communication with the microprocessor, a portable data storage device having a user data memory, the portable data storage device being releasably interfaceable with the data I/O port, thereby enabling data downloading to and data uploading from the microprocessor, a test memory in electrical communication with the microprocessor, the test memory being loaded with at least one executable software program comprising an Alzheimer""s or other dementia test and a baseline data set, the test comprising test information displayed on the visual display, an input mechanism in electrical communication with the microprocessor for receiving input data from the user in response to the test information displayed on the visual display, the microprocessor being enabled to execute said software program, receive the test information from the test memory, display the test information on the visual display, receive the input data from the user via the input mechanism, compare the input data to the baseline data set, assign either of a selected test performance-pass and a test performance-fail signal to the user depending upon the result of the comparison, and forward the selected signal to the portable data storage device.
The method includes the steps of determining a baseline mental function capability of a user, testing a current mental function capability of a user, comparing the current mental function capability of said user with the user""s baseline mental function capability, and displaying a result of the comparison. The mental function capability, depending on the particular test, can be alertness, Alzheimer""s Disease, Parkinson""s Disease, or any other neurologic impairment, including brain tumors.